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Early scare only serves to inspire

Scottish League Round-up: Runaway league leaders Celtic brushed off an early scare and fears over the artificial East End Park…

Thu Feb 12 2004 - 00:00

Scottish League Round-up: Runaway league leaders Celtic brushed off an early scare and fears over the artificial East End Park surface with an awesome goal-spree last night.

Former Shamrock Rovers striker Noel Hunt headed Dunfermline into a surprise early lead, but Celtic responded in formidable fashion.

Henrik Larsson scored twice to take his tally to 24 for the season and there were goals for Stanislav Varga and Alan Thompson, who played a key part in all four goals.

Celtic were temporarily reduced to 10 men when John Kennedy left the field with a nasty gash on his head and it came as little surprise in the 20th minute when the home side took the lead with Kennedy still missing.

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Nicholson played an inviting cross to the back post and Hunt arrived to power a header into the far corner. But that brought an instant response from the wounded Glasgow side, who were ahead five minutes later.

Larsson headed Thompson's corner into the back of the net to take Celtic's goals tally this season through the 100 mark.

The England hopeful was pivotal again soon after as he fired a free-kick to the edge of the box where Varga was on hand to glance a pinpoint header into the top corner.

And, three minutes before the break, Thompson swung a corner into the near post and Larsson got ahead of Scott Thomson to nod home.

Thompson got his name on the scoresheet in the 67th minute when his free-kick took a deflection off the wall and flew past the goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, substitute Hamed Namouchi's first goal for Rangers sealed a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock. Craig Moore opened the scoring in the first half in a game that saw Nuno Capucho carried off injured.

DUNFERMLINE: Stillie, Shields, Scott Wilson, Tod, Scott Thomson (Mehmet 79), Nicholson, Darren Young, Derek Young (Dempsey 68), Skerla, Crawford, Hunt. Subs Not Used: Ruitenbeek, Byrne, Labonte. Booked: Scott Wilson. Goals: Hunt 20.

CELTIC: Douglas, McNamara, Kennedy (Valgaeren 28), Varga, Agathe, Thompson, Petrov, Lennon (Lambert 76), Pearson (Maloney 73), Larsson, Sutton. Subs Not Used: Marshall, Beattie. Goals: Larsson 23, Varga 26, Larsson 43, Thompson 68.

Referee: J Underhill (Scotland).